Dickerson hits the ground running in his return

MIAMI -- When the Nationals signed 11-year veteran Corey Dickerson to a one-year, $2.25 million deal in January, it was for two reasons: He’s a left fielder, and he’s a left-handed hitter. Both were big question marks for the club entering the offseason.

But Washington missed out on Dickerson’s bat for the first month of the season after the outfielder was placed on the 10-day injured list after just two games with a left calf strain.

Dickerson came off the IL on Monday, but the Nationals wanted to wait to get him in the lineup until they faced a right-hander. That day finally came in the form of Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park. The game was, in many ways, a win for Dickerson, though.

Hitting sixth, Dickerson took the first pitch he saw from Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera for a ball, then set his sights on a 96.7 mph sinker middle-in. He demolished it. A no-doubter as soon as the ball left his bat (at a Statcast-projected 109 mph), Dickerson made his first hit of the season count. He belted a two-run homer to the upper deck in right-center field. The ball went a projected 432 feet.

“It felt like Opening Day for me,” Dickerson said. “To get the first hit, the first homer kind of out of the way was pretty cool. But it all goes [back to] the training staff -- [they] did such a good job getting me back. You know, they really cared and put in the effort and time and I'm pretty appreciative to them.”

“That was awesome,” manager Dave Martinez said. “Having him come out like that and hit a ball that hard, that was awesome. I'm happy for him. He's waited a long time to get back in the lineup and it's good to see that he's healthy -- he's gonna help us.”

Dickerson wasn’t done, though. The outfielder -- who is just working as a designated hitter for now while the Nationals ease him back into the running side of the game -- yanked a leadoff single to right field in the seventh. He moved to third with ease after Ildemaro Vargas singled (and the Marlins made a throwing error), then came home on an RBI groundout from Alex Call.

And as Washington attempted a ninth-inning rally, Dickerson reached base on a fielder’s choice.

“I try not to catch up to the other guys,” Dickerson said. “I'm one hundred-and-something at-bats away from those guys, so I try not to get five hits in one at-bat and understand that it might take a little bit of time. I think I got eight at-bats down there in the Minor Leagues. [I just need] to be ready to hit, make sure my timing's good and start adjusting and letting the game come to me. But that's the big thing -- don't try to do too much too early.”

There are numerous people in the Nationals' organization who Dickerson credits with his smooth return to play. He’s adamant that it was a group effort, that his home run wouldn’t have been possible without the support and encouragement of the training staff and assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, who continuously bolstered Dickerson’s confidence and built him up.

But there’s one former teammate whose advice may have had the biggest impact.

“I remember [Albert] Pujols telling me to hit a lot off the machine,” Dickerson said. “If you can hit the machine and train your eyes and train your body to still react to high velocity, you'll be fine when you come back. I still remember that today, and he's one of the greatest hitters to ever do it. So just trying to get the work in and trust myself.”